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Did you find it was possible to remove the battery without also removing the aluminum clamps at the bottom? My 2009 V8V has these clamps, and when the 4 torx retaining screws were removed, the brackets tilted back. This allowed just enough room for the battery to be lifted upwards without fighting to remove the brackets.
If i remember correctly, I had to remove those screws & slide brackets out of the way, then I removed battery ( but not 100%) I do lot of cars every day( my job) can't remember everything anymore
Another battery bracket data point, 2014 V8 roadster......With my current battery at the 5-year mark, and getting the occasional random code, I picked up a replacement jumbo-size Interstate AGM at Costco. I had faced the center bracket issue when I replaced the OEM battery 5 years ago and left the "too small" bracket off, figuring that the sliding brackets alone were quite adequate for non-track driving. Indeed I found the battery solidly in place after climbing through the interior (having the top down helped tremendously). I bought the old 7.5" tall bracket from my local dealer and discovered that all was well except the bolt hole on the back of the older bracket was too small for the bolt size needed for my 4.7 (the bolt opening behind the battery that looks to be drilled into a crossmember). Straight forward to run a slightly larger drill bit through the bracket hole to correctly size and the bracket then fits great, but don't be surprised.
Can't believe I've had my Vantage for over 7 years now. The car has been slow to crank for a couple months and decided to check it with a battery tester. Sure enough, it tested at a whopping 175 CCA. Voltage was still fine, but just not enough juice anymore. The battery has always been on a charger so they wear out no matter what you do. 7.5 years isn't too bad I guess. The Interstate batteries at Costco are still the best deal around. The price just went up to $180, but you can't beat that anywhere else.
To remove the brackets holding on the bottom of the battery I take the screws all the way out and pull the carpet piece that covers the battery behind the seat as far forward as you can get it. This will allow you to be able to pull the side panel piece out just enough to slide off the backets. It takes some wiggling but they will come off.
I did have to spend many hours earlier this year cleaning up a ton of battery corrison all around where the battery sits. It was left over from the original flooded battery and it just didn't register what I was seeing when I changed out the battery - it was sort of a solid mass and looked like part of the car. Thankfully the body is aluminum so it doesn't rust, but the acid had pitted and corroded all back behind the battery. Also had gotten all down under the battery tray. It was a mess and took a long time to clean up with battery cleaner and water/baking soda using rags and all manner of brushes. Leaning into the car behind the seat for a long time sucks - probably should have just removed the seat. If for this reason alone, I would recommend never using a standard flooded cell battery and always an AGM. If you're replacing a flooded cell then do yourself a favor and clean all behind the battery with some sort of acid neutralizing cleaner and also clean the foam as well.
I replaced my 2007 Vantage with an AGM battery a couple of years ago. My Macan comes standard with an AGM battery. When the wife's Hyundia needs a battery, it will be an AGM battery. There is really no reason to use an acid battery anymore.
